Could Washoe Sheriff Haley become 1st Democrat elected to 2nd House District?

Last month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Searchlight, met with Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley to discuss issues of public safety and law enforcement.

Haley said recently the two did not talk about a possible run by Haley in 2014 as a Democrat in Nevada’s 2nd congressional district. Haley seems to be considering it, although he is somewhat vague about it.

Even if Reid and Haley didn’t talk about running in the 2nd U.S. House district, Reid already knows about Haley’s curiosity about getting into national politics.

“The senator knows that I have a lot of ambition and the senator knows I have a lot of desire to do things when my time as sheriff is over,” Haley said. “But we have not talked about anything with a high degree of specificity. (specifics).”

Of course, no Democrat has ever won an election for the 2nd U.S. House, although former regent Jill Derby gave Dean Heller a four-quarter ballgame back in 2006. Nevada’s current 2nd District representative is Mark Amodei, R-Carson City.

Haley's possible candidacy is intriguing. A sheriff running in the rural and law-and-order part of the district just might pull away some conservative voters from Amodei.

And with redistricting, Washoe County -- won by President Obama in 2012 -- becomes even more influential in the 2nd House District.

Since Haley walks around with four stars on his collar, he's already got Amodei beat in the "macho" department.

“Someone, to win that district, is going to have to appeal across party lines heavily,” Haley said of any possible Democratic contenders. “And I’ve never had a problem in that area. I have friends on both sides of the aisle, very good friends, and we agree on a lot of things. Whether or not they agree enough to part with party line on this, I don’t know. That is something that people who are, maybe a little bit smarter than me and have some understanding of the numbers, might be able to answer.”

Many Democrats in the 2nd U.S. House District are loyal to their party’s candidate. But that’s not enough to get Haley elected.

When Amodei first defeated Treasurer Kate Marshall in the 2011 special election, Marshall got 36 percent of the vote, despite a hard-working, professional campaign.

In the 2012 general election Democrat Sam Koepnick again won about 36 percent of the vote but did not have the same strong campaign as Marshall.

“So we know that there is at least 36 percent (of Democratic voters) under any circumstance,” Haley joked.

Haley’s term as sheriff is finished in 18 months, he said. That, of course, would suit the 2014 election cycle. His task, in looking at the past two 2nd District elections is clear: Haley needs to pick up 15 percentage points.